Thus the Government is empowered to give an annuity for a certain number of years in ex- change for permanent stock in the Funds. For instance, a holder of £1,000 2 3/4 per cent. stock is receiving £27 10s. a year in the shape of interest. The Government offers to pay double the amount of interest or £55, if the £1,000 stock is trans- ferred to them, and to continue this £55 a year for twenty years and no longer. At the expiration of that period the interest ceases and the principal sum of £1,000 is struck off the National Debt, which is in consequence reduced by that sum. LOANS - THE INTEREST ON WHICH IS GUARAN- TEED BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT. These consist of loans to the Government of Canada for railway purposes, upon which 4 per cent. per annum is guaranteed. Also loans to the Colonies of Jamaica at 4 per cent. and Mauri- tius at 3 per cent., to the Egyptian Government at 3 per cent. and to the Turkish Government at 4 per cent.; in this latter case the French Government joins in the guarantee. These are all perfectly safe investments, so far as the interest or income derived is concerned, but there appears to be no arrangement for the redemption of the loans. The large loans to the Government of India at 3 1/2 and 3 per cent., repayable in 1931 and 1948, are guaranteed by the Secretary of State for India, practically the British Government. Any amount may be invested in the above stocks and annuities through the medium of either a banker through his broker, or by a broker direct. The broker's charge for trans- acting in Consols is 25. 6d. (1/8) per cent. on the amount invested, but provincial bankers make a further small charge for guaranteeing the busi- ness, that is, they protect their customer from any loss that may arise owing to the failure of the broker to carry out the contract. The dividends, interest, or annuity derivable from these investments, may be received by personal application of the holder at the Bank of England on certain fixed days, or on signing a printed form furnished on application by the Bank of England, per post, they will send from time to time without further notice a warrant or order for the amount due, which warrant or order may be paid into a bank account, or, on a proper introduction, cashed at any bank or post office. The simplest plan, however, may be to give your banker a Power of Attorney to receive the divi- dends from time to time and place the amount to the credit of your account. Income tax is deducted from all dividends; but if a person is not liable to such tax, by reason of the total income coming within the Exemption Clause, the amount can be recovered through a surveyor of taxes, as to which the banker would give all the information required (*). (*) Such information may also be found in detail in a little handy book, "Income Tax, and how to get it Refunded." 1s. 6d. Pub- lished by Messrs. Effingham, Wilson & Co.